Hobnob News
Norwich Airport was forced to close its runway on Friday morning, August 8, after a light aircraft caught fire during take-off, leading to significant disruptions to flights.
The incident occurred at approximately 8:30 a.m. and involved a small engine fire in the aircraft. The runway is expected to reopen by 12:30 p.m., and passengers have been urged to confirm flight details with their airlines before travelling.
A spokesperson for Norwich Airport said:
“We can confirm we are dealing with an incident involving a light aircraft which took place at 08:30 this morning. The runway is currently closed and is expected to reopen at 12:30 today. Passengers due to travel are advised to check with their airline for further details.”
Emergency services responded promptly, but both the East of England Ambulance Service and Norfolk Constabulary were later stood down. No injuries were reported.
An eyewitness described hearing “crash” sounds over a radio before spotting bent propellers on the plane and no visible landing gear. However, emergency crews later described the incident as “nothing major.”
Flight schedules were affected, with a KLM service to Amsterdam cancelled and a Loganair flight to Aberdeen delayed by nearly three hours. On the arrivals side, a KLM flight from Amsterdam was cancelled, and a TUI flight from Corfu was delayed by about 15 minutes. The remaining scheduled departures and arrivals are expected to operate as planned.
This disruption comes just weeks after a similar emergency landing at Birmingham Airport caused widespread delays and cancellations.
